Transmission



y 1, 1945- I R. M. NARDONE 2,374,829

'TRANSMISS ION Original Filed Spt. 2Q, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet l 3O VINVENTOR BY m A ORNE Romeo M Ncudozze.

y 1945- 'R.-M. NA RDONE 2,374,829

TRANSMISSION Original Filed Sept 20, 1941 -2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Patented May .1, 1945 Romeo M. Nardone, Westwood, N. J assignor to Bendix Aviation Corporation, South Bend, Ind., a corporation of Delaware Original application September 20, 1941, Serial N 0. 411,747.- Divided and this application October 12, 1942, Serial No. 461,759

1 Claim.

This invention relates to transmission systems and particularly to systems and devices for-producing a variable speed drive.

4 An object of the invention is to provide a variable speed drive of novel construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel drive including a friction clutch of the cen-.- trifugal type and also a friction brake by which .the speed may be varied at will.

Still another object of the invention is to pro-' vide a novel, practical, efficient and compact construction which will be light in weight, relatively simple to manufacture and install, and readily accessible for inspection, removal, or replacement of parts.

Other objects and features of the invention will become apparent upon inspection of the following specification wherein is illustrated the preferred embodiment of the invention.

It is to be expressly understood, however, that the drawings are intended merely to serve the purpose of illustrating one mode of embodying the invention in practical form and are not to be considered as a definition of the limits of the invention, reference being had for this purpose to the appended claim.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference characters refer tothe corresponding parts throughout the several views' Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal sectional View of a structure embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a transverse view, along line 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. dis a central sectional view of a modification;

Fig. 4 is a transverse view along line 4-4 of Fig. 1; and a Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of certain ofthe speed responsive elements.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is shown as embodied in a supercharger assembly to which air is admitted through a suitable entrance member indicated at I, theair being impelled through the radial channels formed by the impeller blades, and then passing byway of a suitable conduit 2, to the intake manifold of an ning clutch, is supported on bronze shoes S on cam I I. Cam I I and drive plate I5 are both splined and secured to. gear I2 in mesh with gears 5.

A centrifugal clutch I3 having weights I 4 forms .part of the driven planetary spider 20, carrying gears I6. These gears .mesh with stationary internal gear I1 and drive the blower pinion I8 at a high rate of speed.

When the spider formed by plates 6 and I isnot held by the brake band I9,'the rotation of shaft I0 and gear 3, with resistance at 'gear I2, tends to drive the spider assembly ahead of gear I2.

I This is prevented by the wedging of the rollers 2| of overrunning clutch 'I-I I; the wedging action occurring between plate I and the cam surfaces of inner race II. Therefore no reduction in speed occurs and plate I5 is driven at crankshaft speed. Rotation of plate I5 is communicated to planetary carrier 20, as the pressure of engagement of the clutch plates is suflicient to meet normal requirements, even at minimum running speed of the crankshaft.

When the brake band (with shoes 22) is tightened on drum 6, the spider 6, I is held stationary and gears 4 and 5 rotate about their own axes while the roller clutch overruns. A'2-1 multiplication to the clutch plate I5 is obtained which, together with a final 6-1 multiplication at the planet I6, drives the blower at 12 times engine speed. When this occurs, weights I4 apply more pressure to the clutch assembly I3, I5, to render the drive-more certain, while still protecting the gears in any emergency. Y

The tightening of brake band I9 may be effected by a conventional mechanism, such as a bell-crank whose short end engages a nut 3| on an adjustable bolt 32. A pair of lugs 33, 3 4 are formed on the ends of brake band I9, and bell-crank 30 is pivotally mounted in one of these, as shown at 3-6. The lug 34 is adjustablyheld onbolt32 by nut38. v

The roller clutch is shown best in Fig. 4, and

. a feature of novelty is the provision of the bronze (or other soft metallic) shoes 9 on the radial projections II on the inner race, or cam, II.

4 These shoes SfaciIitate free rolling of cam II' internal combustion engine, having a crankshaft 5 to which is splined the accessory drive shaft I0. A gear 3 is splined and secured to shaft I0. This ear drives the planetary idler gears 4 formed integral with gears 5. These duplex planets are mounted on roller bearings supported between plates 6 and 1. Plate 6, forming part of a brake drum, is mounted on bearing 8, while plate I, acting as an outer race of a roller type overrunwhen member 1 isheld, and also act as bearings" for the said member I at all times. 1

In Fig. 3 the operation is substantially the I In combination, a centrifugally controlled friction clutch, 'a differential gear train having a plurality of elements, an overrunning roller clutch operatively associated with an element of said difierential gear train, means responsive to restraint upon one element of the gear train to accelerate the drive, means responsive to release of said restraint to lock the roller clutch against free-wheeling, and means responsive to operation of said locking means for increasing the pressure on the centrifugally controlled friction clutch, said elements includingat least a ternary qf beveled gears with one of said gears being driven-by another through the medium of the remaining gear.

ROMEO M. NARDONE. 

